Inn-to-Inn Guided Canoe Trips in the south of France, the Belgium Ardennes, the Garden of England and Vermont, USA

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Hand-crafted and Fully Guided Canoe Trips that combine the pleasures of paddling down tranquil rivers with an insight into the history and natural history of the region whilst we enjoy the local cuisine and stay in small Inns and B&Bs as we make our way gently downstream in beautiful & dramatic countryside.

Autumn Canoeing

On the Vézère, the Dordogne and the Célé rivers in France

You still have time to enjoy a late holiday break to the South of France with us. September & October are great months for paddling, and of course these are wonderful places to canoe in the Autumn.

It is still warm: very often it is still warm enough to swim in the rivers. We have the 7 Days in the Perigord and the 6 Days on the Cele trip. Or you can push both trips together for our 12 Days 3 Rivers tour. The rivers are quiet: we are often the only people on the river, and of course the châteaux and castles and restaurants and wines are as fabulous as ever.

The tours include visiting the 25,000 year old cave paintings in these regions at Lascaux & Pech Merle, and we can fit in visits to other caves if we wish: Castel Merle, Rouffignac and Font de Gaume for example.

The number of châteaux we canoe past is almost too numerous to mention: the Losse, Belcayre and Clérans on the Vézère, the castles at Montfort, Castelnaud and Beynac as well as the châteaux of Marqueyssac, Fayrac and Milandes on the Dordogne and also the Devil’s Castle and the Chateau Cabrerets on the Célé.

We also visit and stay in numerous pretty villages – Les Plus Beaux Villages de France – which include Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, Beynac-et-Cazenac, La Roque-Gageac and Castelnaud-la-Chapelle. With a little bit of effort we can also visit Domme, Cardaillac and Saint-Amand-de-Coly. These are all tiny country villages in stunning settings. We will also visit the regional town of Sarlat-la-Canéda, preferably on market day.

But, of course, rivers are our main focus and the scenery and wildlife are just as stunning in this season and we will have the bonus of autumn colours.

Admiring the cliffs on the Célé river, Lot France

6 Day Célé Tour

A 5 Night, 6 Day tour in which we spend three days paddling the Célé river and a day hiking a section of the Way of St. James. We also visit the cave paintings at Pech Merle. An extra day can be added if we wish to paddle on the Lot river for a day or we can swap the hike day for a paddle day.

On this tour we will stay in a farmhouse above the Célé for the whole tour. This will save us packing & moving on every night. Every day is but a short drive to the river. Not even 20 minutes drive. Our host Richard & Helen will prepare lovely home-made meals for us and we will enjoy the conviviality of their home.

We will rendezvous with our canoes on the first day and then keep them for the three days it will take us to paddle down to the confluence of the Lot river. We will picnic along the way for lunch and stop at the pretty villages along the route. We will also have ample time for little walks & hikes here & there.

7 Day Perigord Tour

A 6 Night, 7 Day tour in which we canoe down the Vézère & Dordogne rivers with visits to caves to see 25,000 year-old paintings, troglodyte dwellings along the river, huge castles and beautiful chateaux.

On this tour we spend two days paddling down the Vézère river and 3 days paddling down the Dordogne river.

The Vézère valley is famous for being the ‘valley of man’. Almost 200 sites of Neanderthal and CroMagnon antiquity have been found here. We will see and explore some of them, including the renowned Painted Caves at Lascaux. But the Vézère is also beautiful for other reasons, including fabulous chateaux, stunning scenery and wildlife.

The Dordogne river is famous for its more recent history, the 11th and 12th Century for example, which are represented by the huge castles we shall pass, which are reminders of the 100 Years War between France & England. We shall paddle past these as well as numerous smaller chateaux built for more peaceful times. We shall have plenty of time for visiting some of these as well as the stunning villages along the way.

A visit to the Pre-Historic paintings at Lascaux

Our last breakfast together at the Hotel de Chateau in Beynac – everyone is a bit tired and sad that our paddling and exploring with Steve and “George” is over….. The van is packed and we are off to the Lascaux Caves II, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These are the world’s most visited painted caves. The caves were discovered by 2 boys in 1940 and were closed to the public in 1963 due to the fact that the original cave paintings were being harmed by the public.

Cave Painting at Lascaux II

Cro-Magnon Man created these most amazing paintings of deer, cows, horses and stags, along with various symbols (it is still not known what they represent) 17,000 years ago. It was important to salvage this unique piece of history so in the 70s, specialists set out to recreate the original cave paintings down to within a centimeter and a new cave was opened 200 meters away from the original cave in 1983. Our tour started out in French, but then we were able to join an English speaking tour that was right behind us. It was so much more meaningful for us to have the English guide explain about the animals, how they were painted, how the artist showed that the animal might be running and how animals were superimposed on others. The colors of red, yellow and black were vibrant and the guide said that in the original cave they were even more vibrant as the humidity in there is about 98% and preserves the colors well.

Cave Painting at Lascaux II

We are off to Brive and the train station. Patty & Paul will pick up their car here to continue their travels in the Loire Valley and then on another OAT river cruise. Annie, Marlee and I board the train back to Paris where we will then catch a taxi to the airport Best Western. Our train experience was a real adventure. Apparently the coach that we were supposed to be in was not at the end of the train as planned – so we could never find our seats! Not speaking the language was a real problem as we did not know what was going on. We chose any seat and at the next stop we got kicked out of those seats! Finally moving ahead 6 cars dragging all our luggage through a moving train, we found seats – and were able to complete the journey in those! Arrived safely at the Best Western 10 minutes from Charles de Gaulle airport. Tomorrow ends our wonderful adventure here in France – I have a 10:30 AM flight to catch back to the US where I know that Marc & Abby are anxiously awaiting my return!

Steve House of Green River Canoes Ltd and Steve Lines have been wonderful to us – driving us safely everywhere, providing the canoes they rented from various French companies along the rivers, setting up all the lodging and restaurant reservations – but mainly providing us with humor, and a wealth of information. These guys have known each other since their late teens and early 20s – they played in a band together in England where they were originally were from. Steve Lines still lives in the southeast part of England and Steve House, co-owner of the company, lives in Antwerp, Belgium. We so enjoyed their banter with one another and all the funny English sayings that we were privy too. It was truly a special experience!

Thank you for joining me on this journey to the beautiful country of France – land of beautiful rivers, bustling towns, small quaint flower filled villages and history dating back many thousands of years.

Last day on the Dordogne from Beynac to Siorac-en-Dordogne

We started out the day with a buffet breakfast at the Hotel de Chateau – we changed our itinerary a little for the day due to the possibility of rain around 1 pm. We have been so lucky with only a little rain part of one day of paddling.

Last day on the Dordogne river as we start from Beynac

First stop this AM was the river for our first of several short paddles today. We were just out of our put-in spot when we had 3 choices of channels. Marlee and I were paddling together today (we have gotten into a good rhythm!) and chose the narrow one that Steve suggested that had heron rookeries along the banks high in the trees. It was wonderful to see the herons flying all about us – not many people go down this channel so we must have surprised them. In all of our paddles today on the Dordogne we are skirting around islands and checking out narrow passages – following Steve and Annie! We never got into any trouble, although Steve had to get out at one point when they were stuck on a log – Marlee and I sailed over it! Too much great food on this trip for you, Steve!

Josephine Baker’s beautiful Chateau des Milandes

After about an hour, we take out and are transported by the van up to Chateau Des Milandes, former home of Josephine Baker. Josephine was a former African American burlesque dancer in the US and fell in love with France, moving there in the late 1930’s. The chateau was built in 1489 and had many owners. Josephine purchased the chateau in 1947 and called it her “Sleeping Beauty” castle. We had a wonderful tour of the chateau which contained replicas of many of the same furnishings of those in Josephine’s era. She had 12 adopted children of different nationalities and several husbands. She unfortunately died destitute in 1975, having been kicked out of her beautiful palace at one point. She truly was an extraordinary woman, having worked in civil rights with Martin Luther King and also volunteering in the service during WW II along with performing and taking care of her many children.

A beautiful Eagle Owl at the Chateau des Milandes falconry show

The chateau was magnificently decorated and even had a wonderful Bird Of Prey demonstration out in the garden – one of the best I have seen. I even got to hold a peregrine falcon! There was a ferret and several kinds of owls, including the largest owl in France, the eagle owl which magnificent eyes.

Time to paddle another 45 minutes – exploring islands and staying out of the way of nesting swans. Steve tells us that they can be very aggressive at this nesting time of the year and that we should give them a wide berth.

Our last picnic together, at Allas-les-Mines, Dordogne

Our last picnic lunch today was at a community center that had a picnic table. Steve (George) has done an excellent job of providing us with a wonderful variety of foods for lunch – cheeses of France, meats, salad (even with avocados!), fresh French bread, gherkin pickles, potato chips and always some type of fruit and the bar of Belgium chocolate! Of course the obligatory white and red wine accompanied our picnic! The last few days we also had Lu’s, a chocolate covered shortbread cookie.

A garden of potted flowers at Beynac

Our last paddle on the Dordogne and of the trip lasts approximately one hour – I am very sad to see this part of the trip end as I am so at peace on the river. Steve has taught me so much about paddling and I feel so much more comfortable about getting out of a tight situation than on that first day!

Patty, Marlee and Cheryl at Beynac Castle with the chateaux of Payrac, Marquessac and Castelnaud in the distance

One last castle to visit – the Beynac Castle, built in 1238 by the English, which sits high above the town of Beynac where we are staying. The views from this castle are amazing – we can see up and down the Dordogne where we have been paddling. This feudal fortress of Beynac is part of the large system of castles along the Dordogne, which was the division line of the English and French possessions during the 13th century. Much restoration is going on in this castle. We walked down and down from this castle right back to our hotel.
In an hour we are off to dinner in another larger village, Sarlat. We stopped for an aperitif at a local bar and then we were on to dinner at a restaurant recommended by the canoe rental company’s owner. It was one of the best dinners we had! It was a late night and we had to prepare for our departure tomorrow.

A day on the Dordogne with Chateaux & Castles

I am looking forward to castles and chateaux today – plus our paddle on the Dordogne from Montfort down to Beynac. Breakfast at the hotel and we are off again at 9am – directly to the river so we start our paddle early today.

Marlee approaches the riverside village of Roque-Gageac

Looking down on the Dordogne river at Roque-Gageac

Our first stop is at the La Roque Gageac, a cliff hugging village built into the rocks. Here we have coffee and then walk up through the village to see where the rock slide occurred in 1952 originally and then another just 3 years ago. There are still remnants of where the rock slide wiped out some homes and closed down the street though the town for 2 years back in the 50’s. It is a beautiful little town with steep streets of cobblestone, a beautiful little church and gorgeous roses.

(L to R) Cheryl, Marlee, Steve, Patty and Annie at Roque -Gageac

On the river we see baby ducks, herons and the beautiful scenery dotted every now and then with a chateau or castle. There are old fashioned galleon type “tour” boats on this river so we have to watch for their wakes and also their passage. There are also many places along the river that rent canoes or kayaks – can’t begin to imagine what this river will look like in the summer!

Approaching the castle at Castelnaud on the Dordogne

Next we leave the canoes for a tour of the English Castelnaud Castle – a wonderful old castle with tight spiral staircases, cases of armor, movies explaining about the castle history starting in the 1500’s and how the catapults worked in defending the castle, displays of old weaponry used in medieval times and even a latrine that was merely a hole dropping down into the surrounding countryside – many stories high! What a surprise that would have been if you were walking under!

Gorgeous views of the Dordogne from the castle at Castelnaud

Next we traveled by van to a local wine tasting store – tasted some local wines and then ogled over all the various pates, salts, wines, candies etc. that they had. No room in my suitcase for any purchases…….

The gardens and chateau at Marquessac, Dordogne

Marqueyssac Gardens were next. This is a wonderful formal garden where all the boxwood hedges are trimmed twice a year. The hedges were being trimmed as we walked through – they use hand trimmers and a string stretched out tightly to make sure the line is exact for trimming! By the time they finish trimming everything once, it is time to start over!
It was time for our last paddle of the day – Marlee and I are in a groove paddling together now! It is approximately ½ hour to the next town of Beynac where our hotel, the Hotel de Chateau, sits across from the river after a 2 minute walk. It also sits directly underneath the Chateau Beynac.

Dinner was in the hotel (I managed to only eat ½ of everything and am not going to bed stuffed tonight!) Internet is a challenge here as it only works in the lobby area – but we will make it work! That is all for tonight!

A long day on the Dordogne river, from Cazoulès to Montfort

Sadly we leave the farm today and say good-bye to our wonderful hosts who have provided us with excellent home cooked meals, wine and homemade aperitifs! We are off at 9 AM on our adventure on the Dordogne River.

It is approximately a 90 minute drive to the river but we make a few stops along the way – explore another little French village, have coffee, & hit the grocery store (Steve needs to stock up for another wonderful picnic lunch).

Getting ready for our adventure on the Dordogne at Cazoulès

The canoes arrive at the put-in spot promptly at 12 noon and we are off! This river is much wider and quieter than the Célé – we see several types of birds along the shore and in the water – even a blue heron that we chase down the river and then he flies back over the top of us.

Ready to paddle again after lunch at Saint-Julien-de-Lampon

There are purple marten nests built into the sand and this is the first time we have seen cormorants also. We are paddling from Cazoulès to Montfort – we pass by a magnificent chateau high on a hill near our take-out point which is rumored to be owned by a Saudi prince.

Interesting caves and crevices on the Dordogne river

We meander past limestone cliffs and marvel at the ferns and other plants growing out of the rocks and we even explore a small cave via our canoes eroded into these rocks. We arrive in the town of Montfort and to our hotel, the Plaisance for our one night stay here. We relax out on the patio before dinner – it is delightfully warm, a real treat!

Relaxing on the patio at the Hotel Plaisance, Vitrac

Dinner is at the hotel and a 4 course extravaganza! I should have had ½ of each course – hate going to bed on such a full stomach – but I am exhausted…. Good night to all! Another day on the beautiful Dordogne awaits and will be full of castles and chateaux along the river tomorrow!

Day 2 on the Célé: Down to Cabrerets

Today dawned early for those of us who decided to follow Steve on a 1 ½ hour hike at 6:30 am. We hiked 4 miles as the sun rose and found an ancient dolmen where chieftains would have been buried with their worldly goods thousands and thousands of years ago. We checked out the beautiful fields around us, the wildflowers and orchids that Steve loves to find (found several monkey orchids here along with a sleeping butterfly)! Nearing the inn, we also found a shrew in the middle of the road – had never seen one! He was dead…..

An early morning walk on the Causses above the Célé river

After breakfast of wonderful breads, yogurt, fruit and coffee, we are off at 9am to visit the caves at Pech Merle, near the Lot River. We had a guided tour through this ancient cave containing stalactites, stalagmites, 70 different representations of animals from spotted horses, bison, mammoths, aurochs, horses, etc. Paintings were done in black or red using coal or a magnesium oxide and spots were made by blowing the paint from their mouths. We found ancient footsteps preserved in the calcium carbonate along with pearls made from the cascading waters. It was a moist environment in the cave and all of us found it difficult to breathe – we are assuming from low oxygen levels. As fascinating as it was, it was nice to be out in the fresh air after an hour!

The famous spotted horse cave painting at Pech Merle

Next we drove through another old village near the river – these villages are alive with bright spring flowers against the backdrops of yellow limestone and sometimes crumbling structures of old abbeys, churches etc. Most of the houses seem well preserved, although many are still shuttered for the season. Getting to the river at Marcilhac, we are ready for our paddle down to Cabrerets after a stop for coffee and a Danish. I was teamed with Annie for the morning paddle – Marlee, Annie and I have been switching off to paddle with Steve.

Another delicious picnic prepared by George/Steve at Sauliac-sur-Célé!

We paddled to a beautiful spot along the river – “George, our driver, shopper, picnic maker, always seems to find a great spot with a picnic table and such for a wonderful lunch spread. Marlee and I have the afternoon paddle together.

After a small accident (and wild swimming) a tow is in order!

There have been a couple of water chutes that some have gone through – I skipped the first one – those in the bow of the boat got VERY wet! Marlee and Steve did the second one – and I have it all recorded! We had an unfortunate incident near the end of the paddle – Patty and Paul managed to dunk in the river – got tangled up in a big overhanging branch along the bank. All was well and retrieved – but not sure how Paul’s camera fared….

Steve, Annie and Marlee at St. Cirq Lapopie

On the way home, we stopped at beautiful old village called St Cirq Lapopie that Steve sometimes stays in and walked the cobble-stoned streets – wish we had been able to spend more time there! Patty and Paul were waiting in the van staying warm.

Flowers and rooftops at St. Cirq Lapopie

We returned to the inn around 6pm– it has been a long day! Dinner is at 7:30, again beginning with an aperitif before of walnut wine (homemade of course!). A young couple has joined us – they are from Germany and are hiking for 5 days – approximately 12-15 miles a day with a donkey carrying their belongings. They will stay in hostels along the way. Another rousing dinner of a traditional English pork stew and baked apples & ice cream for dessert. Bed felt wonderful at 10:30!

A day on the Célé: Espagnac & Marcilhac

Starting off on the Célé river from St. Eulalie

We awake to sunny skies – so nice! After a wonderful breakfast at the hotel, we are off on a 20 minute drive to our next river adventure – the Célé. This river is actually a small winding stream that flows down a steep sided valley into the Lot. It is a place that few tourists visit and we do have the river to ourselves. Our paddle today is from St. Eulalie to Marchilhac. We put in and only go a short distance before stopping in the village of Espagnac to check out the beautiful flowers that are blooming and some ancient ruins of an old monastery. The bearded iris and roses are just beautiful.

Flowers and steps at St. Eulalie Espagnac

Back on the river and we are in for some adventures. The Célé is very narrow and is running fast. My long ago learned canoe skills are being tested! We do have to navigate three weirs along the river – rock areas that sometimes have to be portaged around.

Annie leads the way on the Célé

The first one we ran right over without a problem – it was a little like running a very short rapid. Next we had to come down a roller area to the side of the weir – we made it fine but Paul and Patty got somewhat hung up – must be all the great French food! The last one was just a log and we went right over that. Guess we are lucky that the river is running so high!

Patty & Paul negotiating one of the weirs on the Célé river

The scenery along the river was stunning – green colors everywhere with tree branches hanging over the river, herons flying ahead of us from one place to another, wag tail birds flitting about and cuckoos singing high in the trees. We had planned to stop at a small café in town on the way to the farm where we are staying for a beer, but it was closed.

La Métairie Basse: our lodgings for two nights

We finally wound our way up the hill to where we will stay for the next two nights. It is a wonderful farmhouse in the middle of the countryside and we will be eating all our meals here, prepared by our hosts Helen and Richard. This place (originally built in 1809) was converted 15 years ago from a complete ruin into a B & B – something you would see the likes of on an episode of International House Hunters on HGTV! This couple came from England in search of a better life and are soon getting ready to retire.

Richard bakes a Salmon en Croûte for dinner

Richard cooked a delicious salmon in pastry main course, plus we had an aperitif, appetizer, green beans, various cheeses and a banana pudding for dessert. Time for bed so we can go for the 6:30am hike!

In the Archive

About Green River CAnoes

Green River Canoes Ltd runs Inn-to-Inn Guided Canoe Trips in the south of France and the Belgium Ardennes.
These holidays are in the Ardennes, Perigord, Lot, Dordogne, Ardeche and Tarn regions with beautiful easy rivers, fabulous scenery, relaxing accommodation and lovely food and wine.